Sweeper.



E. B. SMITH.

SWEEPER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 26 1M3.

Pa tented July 10, 1917.

flflwti a? E. B. SMITH.

m SWEEPEB.

A-PPLICATION FILED nacpzs. 1913.

1,233,135. PatentedJuly 10, 1917.

. STAT.ES .}ECENT OFFICE.

EZRA B, SUITE, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO JERSEY SWEEPER COMPANY, (lvl VC HICAGO, ILLINOIS, CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS;

swnnrnn.

Specification Letters Patent. P t t July 7,

Application filed December 2a, 1913. Serial No. soaen.

ing tobe a full,'clear, and exactdescription of the same, such as will enable others skilled y in the art to which it pertains to make and presence of the disadvantages of either of these two types.

My "'iventlon has for a subsidiary object It a simple and novel construction and arrangement which will permit the operatingham dle of the sweeper to stand substantially upri ht'over thesweeper soas to take up but ittle space in the horizontal direction,

Mt when at rest; and, when occupying the upright position, serve as a brake or lock to stop the motor.

A further subsidiary object of my invention is to produce a simple arrangement for uickly and'conveniently attaching and re- .rno'ving the handle of the device and for holdingit securely in place when attached.

A further objectof my invention is to provide a simple and novel arrangement 40 which will permit the propelling-handle to be placed iIr'an almost horizontal position when it is desired to push the sweeper under low furniture; while at other tin'ies the defession of the handle; while still disposed a considerable angle above the horizontal, my be utilized to depress the rear end of tire sweeper and raise the front end so as to make it easy for the sweeper to pass up oven. the edges of rugs or the like.

. further object of my invention is to priufluce a. simple and novel driving means for a brush cooperating with the suction device. i y A. further'subsidiary object of my inveniit tion is to provide a simple and novel means mpact, powerful spring motor main frame in any suitable manner.

for securely holding, the rubber tires of the sweeper onthe wheels.

Viewed in one of its aspects myinvention may'be' said to have for its ob ect to improve, by simplifying, strengthening and making more compact, the sweeper disclosed and claimed in -my prior application for sweeper, filed January 6, 1913, Serial No.

740,27 9. use the same, reference being had to the ac- 1 The various features of novelty whereby-l5 mfy invention is characterized will hereina ter be pointed out with particularity in the claims but, for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following 10 detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a machine arranged in accordance with a preferred form of my invention,. with the cover re- 76 moved and the handle broken 01f;

Fig. 2 isa longitudinal section taken approximately on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken approximately on line 33 of Fig. 2; '80

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4of Fi 3; Fig. 5 is a top plan view of one o thebcarings and holding devices for the handle, showing the holdin means, in a different position from that'i lustrated in Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a section taken approximately on line 66 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a detail illustrating the brake or look and the means for-controlling it from the handle.

r The frame of the machine may conveniently be made of a main casting comprising a rear cup-shaped portion, 1, and a front part, 2, servin as the hous n or casing fora horizontai fan; a cover, extending over the part 1 of the casting and a portion of the fan casing; and a casting, 4, lying beneath the fan casing and containing the inlet nozzle for the fan casing. In the rear portion of the main frame is a powerful coiled spring, 5, surrounding and connected at its inner end to a vertical shaft, 6,' mounted at its lower end in a bearing, 7,

in the frame and extending at its upper end through a bracket; 8, secured to the'105 On the shaft 6, ust beneath the bracket is a ratchet. wheel, 9, with which cooperates a. pawl, 10, for the purpose of permitting the shaft to be rotated in the direction to wind the .110

spring and be held against rotation in the opposite direction. Surrounding the spring and fixed. to the ;outer end thereof, "as ind1 eated at 11, is a drum, 12, having upon the top thereof a gear wheel, 13. The gear wheel 13 meshes with a pinion, 14, on the lower end of a vertical shaft, 15, revolubly mounted in a boss, 16, of the bracket. On the upper endof the shaft 15 is a gear wheel, 17. The pinion 14 and the gear wheel 17 serve as collars or shoulders to hold. the shaft ment. Inv the fan casing is arranged a horizontal fan, 18, of any suitable construction,

the shaft 19 of the fan extending vertically through the top of the fan casing and through the frame 20 of a suitable gear train one member, 21, of which meshes with the gear wheel 17, while another member, 22, is fixed to the fan shaft. The'frame 20 of the train of gearing is preferably made in the form of a unit adapted to be attached sition.

to the to of thefan casing and be housed beneath t e front end of t e cover.

The bracket 8 extends over the top of the motor spring and is provided between the sides 9f the main frame with upwardly pro- .iecting ears, 25 and 26, to which a hoodike member, 27, secured to the lower end of the actuating handle, 28, of the sweeper is adapted to fit. Additional ears, 29 and 30, pro ect upwardly from the bracket between the cars 25 and 26 and{ the adjacent walls of the main frame. The handle is secured in place by meansof horizontal trunnions, 31 and 32, mounted in the two pairsof ears 25 and 29, and 26 and 30, the inner ends of the trunnions being adapted to engage with suitable sockets in the member 27 of the handle, thus securing thehandle to the frame and permitting it to swing about a horizontal axis. In order that the handle 'may be quickly attached or detached, I make the trunnions slidable in the lengthwise direction so that they may be retracted,

far enough to clear the member 27 on the handle and thus permit the handle to be lifted out. In order to lockthetrunnions in their working positions and permit them to be easily shifted from one position to another, I provide each trunnion with an elongated rod, 33, projecting at right angles through the same and of a length to overlie the top edge of the rear. portion 34 of the main frame when in a horizontal po- The member 34 is provided. with notches, 35, in position to receive the rods 33 when the trunnions are "in their working positions, and lock the trunnions against accidental displacement. The short ends of the rods 33 are adapted to lie in notches, 36, in wa lls,"'37, connecting each pair of ears and thus serve as a further lock for the trunnions when the latter are in their work- 15 against endwise moveuniversal gear, 41. U on the upper end of the handle is secur a hollow box-like casting, 42, having a grip, 43. Extending transversely into the casting 42 in proximity to the gear 40 is the shaft, 44, of a crank, 45, the shaft having a bevel pin, 46, meshing with the gear 40. By turning the crank 45, the. shaft 39 may be rotated. The gear 41 meshes with a complementary gear, 47, fixed upon the upper end of the spring shaft 6. The gears 41 and 47 are of the type which permits the handle of the machine to lie anywhere between a horizontal position and an approximately upright position as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, preserviug the driving connection, at all times, betwecn the operating shaft and the spring shaft.

The handle of the machine extends through a slot, 48, in the cover 3 and when swung forwardly slightly beyond an upright position, the front wall of the slotmay be made to serve as a stop, so that the handle will remain in its approximately upright'position. \Vhen the handle is swung back so as to lie slightly in rear of an upright position, it tends to drop down into a horizontal position. It is desirable that the handle be so arranged that it may occupy a substantially horizontal position, at times,

in order to permit the sweeper to be pushed underneath beds or other pieces of furniture raised above the floor. However, it is also desirable to make it possible to use the handle to tilt the sweeper so as to raise its front end and permit it to pass readily up over the edge of a rug or the like. I have therefore mounted upon the rear wall, 34, of the main frame a swinging dog, 49, which registers with the slot, 48, in the cover and which, in one position, engages with the under side of the handle while the handle is still at a convenient angle, while in ancover and occupies an approximately upright position as shown in, Fig}.l 2. In this position a depression ofthe a'ndle until it engages the dog serves to tilt the sweeper and raise its front end. when it is desired to lower the handle into a horizontal position without tilting the sweeper, the upper end of the dog is swung outwardl through the slot in the cover so as to er no obstruction to the downward movement of the [It will be seen that by turning the crank on the handle of the machine the motor spring is wound up and the spring in turn drives the fan through the gear train, the fanrevolving at a high speed suflicient to roduce a considerable suction. The spring 1s preferably made long as well as powerfu so that the fan will run at an eflective' speed for a considerable time after the spring has been wound u It may there fore happen that the wor of the machine wil l becompleted while there is considerable power stored in the spring, or it may be desired to stop work for a time while this condition exists. It is therefore desirable that the fan be stopped'whenever the machine is stopped so that thepower stored up in the spring will not 'be wa'sted. To this end I have provided a brake, 53, adapted to engage one of the gears, 54, of the train be- -tween the motor; spring and'the fan, the brake. havin an jagituatlng arm, 559 extending across t e bracket, 8, beneath the member 27 on the lower end of the handle of the 5 machine.) The member 55 has a slot, 56, extending lengthwise therein at'its' rear end i and the. member 27- has a depending ear, 57, which is adapted to enter the slot. The parts are so pro' ortioned that normally the 40 ear 57 simply p eye in the slot without influe'ncin the brake; while, when the handle 'is raise in its upright position, the ear 57 engages the rear bounding wall of the slot and draws the brake actuating member 55 rearwardly so as tofbringthe brake into operative relation'to the ear 54. The slot, "48,;1in the cover is pre e'rably made long enough,;when the brake is used, to'allow thel l handleto be supported in its approximate'ly upright position by the brake instead of" the cover.

.inclined under face so as to brin With this arran ement, whenever the handle of the mac ine is placed'in an upright position, the motor duces a suction which acts to prevent any loose dust from being shaken down.

The machine is supported on suitable wheels, there being rear wheels, 60, one on each side of the rear portion 1 of the main frame, and front wheels, 61, one arranged on each side of the dependin member 4' at the front. The wheelsmay a l conveniently be made offlanged metal disks provided with rubber tires, 62, lying upon the flanges. The flanges are perforated as. indicated at. 63 so that when the rubber tires are placed in position, the rubber enters the perforations and interlocks the tires securely with the flanges.

The parts are so proportioned that the bottom of the casting 4 is hold some distance above the surface on which the supporting wheels rest. The casting is made hollow and in the front end thereof is arranged a large brush,'65, extending transversely and revoluble about a transverse axis; the brush projecting down through the open bottom of the castin far enough to touch the surface over whic the machine is traveling. What. may be termed the nose of the casting 4, that is the lower section just in front of the opening 66 through. which therbrush projects, is inclined upwardly from the o ening to the front edge of the casting as in icated at 67. This ermits the extreme advance end of the mac ine to pass over an object of considerable height as, for example a small crumpled piece of paper, instead of pushing the objectahead o'flt; any yielding object small enough to pass under the advance end of the machine being pressed down by the it into. a condition to be caught by the brus and carried back into a lar'edust chamber, 68, behind the brush. file dust chamber 68 is provided with a comparative] wide door, 69, extendi across the machme, the door being hin as indicated at 70, ad'acent to the brush and having itsrear en held tame, the door 69 ma opened so as to all w large dirtparticles and'small objects which are taken up in the cleaning opera- ,tion, to be discharged. The dust chamber 68 communicates with the fan casin by means of alarge opening, 72, which orms a suction inlet or t e fan.

The brush is preferabl driven from. the front-wheels 0fthe mac ine because it is not necessary for the brush to operate expiept when the machine is moving across the cor. Y

In the arrangement shown, and best illustrated in- Fig. 3, the brush is rovided with elon ted trunnions, 75 whic project outvar 1y thro'ughopening, 76 of consider ble size in the side wal of the dust chamher. The outer ends of the trunnions pass up bya suitable spring, 71. From time to through stationary plates, 77, in prox- 180 78, whic fixed to the corresponding wheel and concenimity to the flanges of the wheel 61 and formin with the wheels closed gear boxes. On eac of the trunnions, within the correspondin gearbox is fi'xed a suitable pinion, meshes with a driving gear, 79,

tric therewith. As the Ont- -wheels of the machine revolve they drive the pinion 7 8 and therefore' the brush.- The brush may be held against endwise movement b means of suitable straps, 80, or blocks ollowed out on one side to receive the pinion, 78, the members 80 bein secured to the stationary plates 77 and for receiving the ends of the trunnions 75. The large opening 76 and the considerable length of the trunnions between the brush and the 'sufiporting bearings,:prevents the brush 'from 20- picked up and wrapped about the trunnions.

ecoming clogged when threads are lhe-housingof the gear-s78 and 79 'in a closed chamber out of close proximit with the adjacent wall ofthe dust cham r insures that threads and the like will not be picked up and work between the gears so as to clog them and interfere with their operation.

The trunnions 75 may oi course be con- .nectedtg therbrush in any suitable'mannen For convenes-asap vassembling and in removing thelb h fr'om the machine '1 prefer, however,toconnect the trunnions detachably as best illustrated inEig. 3. In the arrangement shown, the brush has a sleeve, 82, 'fixed in each. endv thereof, each sleeve having aslot, 83, cut lengthwise therein from the outer endof the brush. Each trunnion is of a size to fit slidably into the corres' ondingsleeve and ,has pro'ecting there rom a pin, 84, which enters t e slot 83 and holds the trunnion and the brush against relative rotary movement, while permittin he trunnion to be slipped out of the en of the brush at will.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity. only a single preferred to form of my invention, I do not desire to be, limited to ,the exact structural details thus illustrated and described, but intend to ,cover all forms and arrangements which comewithin theterms employed in the defi- [in pended ,claims.

iiitions of my invention constituting the a1 1 spring is connected, a drivin having sockets, 81,

The discharge side, 85, of the fan will I claim:

1. In ;-a machine of the character described, a carriage at the frontend oi the carriage having an inlet, a suction fan arran ed in said casing, a propelling handle for t e carriage, a motor spring, a vertical shaft to which said connection between said propelling han e and said shaft, and a train of gearing between the spring and the fan.

2. n a machine of the character described, a main frame comprising 'a fan. casing and a housing, a motor spring arranged in said housing, la famin said casing, gearing between said spring and said fan, a cover extending across said liousin and across the plropelling andle for the machine, an a riving connection between said handle and said spring.

3. In a machine of the character described, a main frame comprising a horizontal fan casing and a spring casing lying behind the fan casin and open at the top, a fan arranged in said fan casing, a vertical shaft arranged centrally of the spring casand fixed at one end thereto, a gear train ear-ing adjacent to the .an a

arranged between the spring and the fan,

a portion of the gear train resting upon the fan casing, and a cover extending over the spring casing and across the train of gearmg. p 4 In a machine of the character described, a main frame-comprising a horizontal fan casing and a spring casing lying. be-

hind the fan casing and open at the top,

a fan arranged in said fan casing, a. vertical shaft arranged centrally of the spring casing, a motorspmhg surroundingthe and fixed at one .end thereto, a gear train arranged between the spring and the fan, a ortion of the gear train resting upon the an casing, a cover extending over the spring casm and across the train of gearing, a prope ling handle extending through saidcover, and means associated with said handle "for winding said spr'ng.

.In testimony whereof, I sign this specifi- 1 cation in the presence of two witnesses.

'nznlr B. SMITH.

Witnesses: a

VM. F. Fnnnnnnmarcn, Rn'rn E. Zm'mRvAm 

